


want me to spell it out for you?

by orphan_account



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: #96linefest, #onceuponadawn, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Love Confessions, M/M, Multiple Declarations of Love, Potion-breaking shenanigans, love potions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2020-10-10 00:03:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20518652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Dramatization: Do not let your friends drink love potions at home.





	want me to spell it out for you?

**Author's Note:**

> At long last, the 96z fic fest is here!! It’s my first time writing another ship other than soonhoon so i hope my wonhui here isn’t too bad hhhhhhh
> 
> Many thanks to the onceuponadawn mods for organizing this event!! Looking forward to all the other fantasy works eheh
> 
> Now, onwards to the story!

“Wonwoo-yah,” a voice giggles, a bright smile stretching upwards into a familiar crescent shape. Soonyoung stares at his three friends, misty eyed and mouth tinged with a suspicious red coloring. He extends his arms to the side, right hand revealing a nondescript bottle which causes all three faces to pale in realization.

“I love you  _ soooooo _ much!” Soonyoung says, eyes bright when he suddenly says, “Will you marry me?”

No one could blame Wonwoo for suddenly reaching out to knock Soonyoung out with his fist, magical residue clinging to his fingers after launching the spell towards the young elemental. The three of them look at their now-unconscious friend and the bottle that’s tightly clenched around his fist.

“What the  _ fuck _ just happened?”

* * *

**It’s all thanks to Junhui.**

Junhui would probably argue that it’s not  _ all _ his fault (though Jihoon is quite sure Wonwoo would add in his own comments towards this matter as well). For now, Jihoon would rather skip all the finger pointing and focus on the more  _ important _ matters at hand—such as solving the whole love potion problem.

If only Jihoon could convince himself that it’s  _ definitely  _ not as bad as it seems. The spell is reversible, he’s sure that Soonyoung could be saved.  _ Maybe _ . After all, Junhui is still an apprentice potion maker and Jihoon’s not even sure that Jun’s own skill level is strong enough to brew a long-lasting love potion.

A few sparks escape from Jihoon’s fingers, causing a few surrounding objects to change in color. His phone becomes an alarming shade of green, his right shoe turns dark red and his pants get a few splotches of purple against the grey fabric. Jihoon lets out a small curse and tries his best to calm down, lest he lose any more control over his magic.

Of course his little slip-up is to be expected. How else would you react when you find out that one of your closest friends has (unintentionally)  _ drugged _ someone with a love potion? With that someone being another close friend who is now acting even more  _ annoying  _ than usual? Jihoon feels as if he’s about to suffer an aneurysm.

“How could you let Soonyoung drink one of your potions? And a  _ love _ potion no less!” Jihoon growls out, clenching his hands into fists as he starts smacking Junhui in the arms. The two of them are camped out in their apartment’s bathroom, having left Wonwoo alone to deal with Soonyoung himself. “He’s already too much of an idiot. Now that he’s drunk a potion, it would only make him worse!”

Jun raises his arms to block the sudden pummeling he’s being subjected to, though his efforts soon prove to be useless. “Don’t worry, the potion doesn’t affect feelings that already exist. It sorta… makes them up, on the spot!” He tries to grab at Jihoon’s hands to make him stop his beating, “I’m sure the potion will lose its effects soon. It’s the first time I’ve tried making a love potion and I’m sure it’s not even that strong.”

“That doesn’t explain why he’s still like  _ that _ ,” Jihoon gestures to the sight of Soonyoung curled up in the hallway outside the bathroom where he is currently face planted in front of Wonwoo’s door. He cried himself to sleep when the young sorcerer locked himself up in his room, halting Soonyoung’s advances to profess his love. “It’s been five hours since he last drank the potion and you  _ said  _ it’d only last for three! I don’t want him to wake up and start crying over your boyfriend in that annoying, whiny tone of his.”

“Ah, you see.” Jun scratches his head, trying to recall what’s written in his textbook. God, he should probably listen to his professor and not try brewing things out of class, “It’s  _ supposed _ to last for three hours, at least that’s the time limit of the recipe that I followed. But the book says that in the case that it doesn’t, the effects have probably been extended.”

“By how long?”

Jun winces, “Uh, 3-5 days max?”

“Are you kidding me?!” 

“Quiet down, the both of you. Do you want to wake him up from his sleep?” Wonwoo asks, suddenly teleporting into the space behind them. Both Jihoon and Junhui jump from the sudden intrusion before hastily pulling him into their circle. “I can hear the two of you arguing from my room. It’s amazing how you haven’t woken Soonyoung up with all the noise.”

“Well, if you managed to get past his idiotic body lying in front of your room, I’m pretty sure he won’t wake up to us screaming in the bathroom,” Jihoon says, a scowl on his lips. He nudges his head to the side and sighs, “We’re trying to come up with a plan to undo the spell’s effects. Since, you know, it’s Jun’s fault.”

Jun lets out a small huff of breath, “I already apologized… Besides, how was I to know that Soonyoung would mistake it as a smoothie? He’s the one who goes and drinks weird potions out of the blue. Blame him, not just me!”

“You deserve it though,” Wonwoo shrugs, ignoring the small pout Jun directs his way. “Have you two managed to figure anything out at least?”

“Well, we managed to determine how long the spell might last at least. I don’t know much about love potions but I could head to the library and pick up a few books on the subject,” Jun explains, already pulling up a few titles in his head. “There are several types of love spells and I’m not sure which antidote to brew in order to cure Soonyoung.”

“That’s true… I’d rather not risk making things worse by making him drink yet another one of your potions,” Jihoon says, sending a look towards Jun as he says it. “Is there nothing else we can do other than wait?”

Wonwoo shakes his head. “We should probably do just that and observe Soonyoung a bit longer. It’s only the first day and who knows, maybe it’ll go away tomorrow.” He folds his hands together, “The thing with magic is that it’s often got a mind of its own. The only thing we can do it wait and see where this love potion takes us.”

His words make both Jun and Jihoon sigh and a small crease appears in between his brows. “Hey, don’t worry,” Wonwoo says, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend and turning to face Jihoon. “We’re going to help Soonyoung go back to normal. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


**Jihoon resists the urge to clock Soonyoung in the head.**

At present, the other male is propped up on one arm, staring at Wonwoo with an absolutely lovesick expression spanning across his face. The latter pays him no heed but Jihoon could tell that from the tension in his shoulders that he wishes the other would stop.

“Wonwoo-yah,” Soonyoung drawls out, for the  _ twelfth  _ time this hour. “ _ Heeey _ . Look at me.”

  
  


“Mn.” A page is turned. Jihoon wrinkles his nose at the sight, eyeing the annoyed twitch that appears from the corners of Wonwoo’s lips. “What is it now?”

  
  


“What are you doing?”

“Work.”

“Oooh,” Soonyoung nods as if it’s the most interesting thing he’s heard that day. He dishes out praise, his tone somewhat breathless as he smiles up at the other male. Words like cool and amazing and smart fall from his lips like rain, drenching the other male in a torrent of compliments.

It’s a side of Soonyoung he’s never seen before. And Jihoon hates it. 

  
  


The wide, dopey grin on his face looks so unnatural that it’s obvious he’s under the influence of some potion. The words he’s been saying are pretty but empty, no doubt due to the potion’s effect on his mind. It’s not at the same level of his witty remarks or sincere praise, where Soonyoung’s emotions really run deep.

The longer Jihoon stares at the two, the more his blood boils. He doesn’t know what’s gotten into him but the urge to sucker punch Soonyoung in the head grows by the minute.

  
  


He can feel pressure build in the space between his shoulder blades, wings threatening to pop from concealment. The young fae prince tries to curb his anger by taking a few deep breaths. He’s not a big fan of his wings and he’d rather not explode right in the middle of their living room.

  
  


The last time he got mad, he literally exploded in a mess of glitter and sparks. After his outburst, he could only stare dumbly at the mess he made, his wings standing straight from embarrassment. It had taken three showers to wash off all the glitter and even then, he’d still find some faint traces of glitter when he sits down or walks.

  
  


The sound of Soonyoung’s laughter and Wonwoo’s quiet chuckle reaches the young prince’s ears. He turns around and spies the two of them playing a game, the aura around them light and airy once more.

  
  


Jihoon sullenly thinks of the night right before this whole thing happened. He’d gotten up at two in the morning and dragged Soonyoung along to the training grounds. Despite the elemental magician’s complaints about being dragged out so early in the morning, he still threw on his cloak and followed Jihoon out into the night.

  
  


They raced through the shortcut right in the forest, Jihoon taking the lead once more as he uses his fae magic to enchant the blades of grass underneath his feet, making his steps light and airy while absorbing some of the spiritual energy to fuel his own. Soonyoung follows from behind, movements a bit sluggish due to sleep. But soon enough, he regains his senses from all the movement and he catches up to Jihoon easily, a teasing smile on his face as he begins to pull forward.

  
  


It ends up as a tie once again.

  
  


Nights like these have always been theirs to spend however way they like. Usually it consists of late night sparring sessions and despite Soonyoung’s former reluctance and complaints about training, Jihoon knows that the other has grown to love honing his skills.

  
  


They settled at the archery range that night. Jihoon gives Soonyoung a few pointers to improve his own long ranged attacks and prodding at the ice arrows the elemental has conjured for his training.

  
  


“What spell did you use to keep them from melting?” He inquired, poking at the arrowhead. “I’m surprised you managed to improve your water elemental to the point of ice already.”

  
  


“I’ve been doing a lot of self-studying recently.” Soonyoung confesses, a slight grin on his face. He holds out his hand and conjures up another arrow, drawing out the moisture and energy in the air as he smiles to show his progress to Jihoon, “I couldn’t afford to keep losing to you during training now, can’t I? I needed some countermeasures.”

  
  


He knocks the arrow to his bow, taking a deep breath before letting it fly. Jihoon lets out a small whistle as he watches its trajectory, landing in the center with a nice  _ thud. _

  
  


“Nice,” Jihoon praises, nudging Soonyoung slightly with his own bow. The elemental seems taken aback and his form crumbles a bit, almost whacking his face with his bow in the process. His blunder makes Jihoon laugh, clapping his hands and letting a few careless sparks escape.

  
  


The sound echoes in the training field, the light and airy notes flitting through the air. Maybe it’s due to his faerie ancestry but flowers suddenly bloom from right under his feet. Soonyoung’s eyes widen at the sight but Jihoon merely sighs, taking a few careful steps as to not crush the fresh blooms.

  
  


His frown deepens when another flower sprouts with each new step he takes. “God, I hate it when this happens,” the young fae prince complains. “First, getting angry makes me into a literal glitter bomb. And then my wings sprout from concealment despite my efforts to keep then hidden.”

  
  


“Now, I’ve got  _ flowers  _ blooming whenever I laugh? What kind of Seelie bullshit is this anyway?” He shakes his head, frowning at the blooms near his feet as if they’ve committed homicide. “This whole ascension thing is stressing me out.”

  
  


“Is this part of the process of becoming heir to the court?” Soonyoung asks, leaning forward in genuine curiosity. Not much is known about the two courts in the fae kingdom. Even if communication and trade is prevalent these days between worlds, much of the information concerning the fae folk is hidden.

  
  


“Mhm,” Jihoon nods. By now, the magic of his laughter has run out and the flowers begin to slowly fade. “The side effects don’t last very long but it’s tied to my emotions so it’s still a pain. I can’t tell you much since it’s still technically a national secret, but I can definitely assure you that it sucks.”

  
  


“What could be worse than random sparks and flowers?” Soonyoung teases. A loud yelp escapes him when the young prince decides to sock him in the shoulder. “What was  _ that _ for?” Soonyoung asks, a mocking pout plastered on his lips which only serves to make Jihoon pinch him in retaliation. He giggles, not minding the stinging pain on his arm. “I think magic like that is beautiful.”

  
  


Beautiful.

  
  


Jihoon clears his throat, a strange, burning feeling spreading across his chest. He feels lightheaded, and yet his mind feels as clear as day. “Flattery won’t get you any closer to beating me.”

  
  


Soonyoung laughs once more, making the strange emotion inside him intensify. The young prince could feel heat spread across his neck and silently, he wonders if Soonyoung’s laughter could make flowers bloom as well.

* * *

It’s been two days and Soonyoung isn’t showing any sign of improvement.

The weird, burning feeling encompasses him to the point that not even sparring could burn out his frustrations. He glares at the corporeal form standing in front of him, his anger making the spell he casted to lose his form.

With a huff, Jihoon waves his hand to send the spirit away. The spirit bows to him before disappearing, leaving Jihoon to stew silently in the training grounds. The young prince picks up his sword, taking to hacking incessantly at thin air instead.

_ Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. _

His steps are nimble and precise yet the weight he swings his sword around carries massive intent which flattens the ground he’s practicing in. Jihoon doesn’t normally practice his sword arts, preferring long-ranged combat than melee and the wide arsenal of magic skills that’s expected of someone from the fae kingdom. Still, the way he carries his sword demands praise and attention, his skill properly cultivated with years of practice.

It comes up a bit short from his skill with the bow and arrow but Jihoon makes up for it with his swift footwork and accuracy. The wind picks up from around him, scattering fallen leaves into the air. Jihoon zeroes in on them and channels a bit of magic to his blade and feet, leaping forward to attack.

He bursts forward and lowers his blade. Behind him, the leaves crumble into various threads as fine as spider’s silk. They seem to sparkle in the sunlight, almost transparent with how fine Jihoon managed to slice them.

Jihoon sheathes his blade, bringing a hand up to re-tie the band he has around his hair. He flicks away some sweat which dot along his nape and frowns, the move taking quite a toll on him and his mental capacity. Despite the amount of damage Jihoon has left on the leaves, the ground underneath has no other damage. It takes particular skill to be able to control what his blade can and cannot touch, one that the young prince is still exploring.

“Your Highness!” A voice calls out to him, causing Jihoon to glance up in search. The voice belongs to one of his retainers, a young fae who goes by the name of Seokmin, “It’s time!”

“For what?” Jihoon asks, already walking back and stripping his arms of the leather binding used for swordplay. He hands Seokmin his sword, who straps it alongside the great longsword already on his back. Jihoon studies him, wondering why he hasn’t buckled over the weight already. “It hasn’t been that long since I’ve started training.”

Upon seeing the odd look on Seokmin’s face, he stops in his steps. “Don’t tell me…” Jihoon glances up at the sky, his internal clock telling him that it’s well over lunch and that his break is over.  _ Shit. _ Even though he’s regarded as royalty and is treated as such, Jihoon is still technically a student and he can’t afford to skip his classes lest he bring shame to his court.

He’s been too caught up in venting his frustrations through training that he forgot all about the time. The image of Soonyoung’s glazed expression and dopey eyes flash through his mind once more, leaving Jihoon angry once more over the events from the previous day.

“I’m so sorry, Your Highness!” Seokmin bows, keeping his body trained at exactly 90 degrees. “This servant lost track of the time while Your Highness has been training.” Jihoon has to stifle a sigh. He hates it when they act like this, like he’s someone who couldn’t accept a few mishaps. Even though Jihoon has inherited the fiery temper that’s known from the previous monarchs, he’s not an asshole to the people around him. 

“You know, you don’t have to be so formal around me,” he says with a wry smile. “No need to address yourself as such and lay off with the ‘Your Highness’, just call me by my name. We’re to spend much more time with each other after all; it’s best to get comfortable early on.”

“But—”

“No arguments, we’ve wasted enough time as it is,” Jihoon states, hastening his steps as they head towards the class building. “We’re going to have to run if we want to make it. Professor Lan may be a bit lenient with the rules but I still don’t want to risk it.”

They rush to class, Seokmin keeping in time with Jihoon’s steps at a pace behind him. They’re only a few minutes late and Professor Lan waves him in with a small sweep of his arm. Jihoon could feel the stares that follow him as he heads to his seat near the back of the class.

To his surprise, the seat next to his is empty and his eyes scan the classroom, searching for a familiar brown head. “Huh, Your Highness,” he stops when Jihoon levels him with a look. “...Sir J-Jihoon, is Soonyoung not here today?”

“You know him?” Jihoon asks, satisfied with the attempt. He sits down at his seat and gesturing for Seokmin to take Soonyoung’s place instead. “Ah, wait, you’re taking archery as well, correct? Aside from your usual sword lessons.”

“Yes. He and I have met on several occasions and he is aware that I am one of your retainers, m’lord,” Seokmin whispers, one eye trained at the front just in case they get reprimanded. “Soonyoung likes to share a bit about the classes he shares with you and I assume that since he shares this class with you…” he trails off, uncertain whether to continue

“You expected for him to be in attendance, yes?” Jihoon finishes, staring straight at Professor Lan while he demonstrates a new magical technique with strings. “No matter. I’ll just take notes for him.”

Class is a quiet affair. Jihoon is used to the small banter and exchange during lessons, the little animated figures Soonyoung enchants to annoy Jihoon and make him smile. He finds himself waiting for the usual tell-tale sign of Soonyoung whispering his name and resisting the urge to swat the other male to listen.

Jihoon has to fight the rush of disappointment when he sees Seokmin beside him instead. He’s not even in this class and yet he looks so diligent, listening in rapt attention as Professor Lan discusses elemental magic. He’s fine with Seokmin however, even considers him as a trustworthy companion. But the young prince can’t help but wonder why a small tangled feeling appears in his chest.

Once class is over, Jihoon sets out back towards the dorms. That was his last class of the day and Jihoon sets off to grab his gear in his room to practice in the courtyard once again. He passes by the alchemy department on the way, wanting to ask Wonwoo if he could enchant his bowstring with another strengthening rune.

As soon as the young prince catches sight of his taller friend, Jihoon rushes forward, bidding Seokmin to go on ahead to the archery range and meet him once he’s done. “Wonwoo! Hey, I need to ask you something!”

Wonwoo turns around at the sound of his name, a small fleeting expression of surprise and worry appears on his face. “Jihoon,” he greets, just as the young prince breaks through the crowd. “What is it?”

Jihoon pauses, steps faltering as he looks at the person standing right beside him. “Soonyoung?” He shakes his head, a small frown appearing on his lips. “This is where you’ve been the whole time?”

“Yup!” Soonyoung grins, voice too chirpy to be considered normal. He’s sticking too close to the young alchemist, who tries to pry his wandering figures away from his precious scrolls. “I want to spend more time with Wonwoo!”

“He skipped class the whole day,” Wonwoo sighs, expression long-suffering. “He even joined Jun and I during break… I haven’t been able to relax at all with him here.”

“I can see that,” Jihoon says, wryly. He can’t believe it. Soonyoung kipping class in favor of mooning over Wonwoo who seems to have aged indefinitely. Just how strong was this love potion in the first place?! It’s been two days and yet it seems not to have faded in the slightest.

The sight of Soonyoung just standing and smiling dumbly at Wonwoo fills Jihoon up anger, surprising the young prince with its intensity. He has to take a few seconds to compose himself and reign his wings back in; exploding glitter in the middle of the hallway isn’t something he’d like to do. Something dark and heavy curls inside Jihoon’s gut, the tendrils spreading its influence in his heart which starts to beat rapidly. 

His vision sharpens and yet his mind feels muddled and confused.  _ Why? _ The strange emotion strengthens when he sees Soonyoung—that  _ fucker _ —twine his fingers around the crook of Wonwoo’s arm.  _ Why am I so angry? _ Jihoon pushes down the possessive curling around his gut, scolding himself for this behavior unbefitting for someone of his position.

“Jihoon, did you need something?” Wonwoo asks, looking much too eager for a chance to escape. “Why were you looking for me?”

“It’s okay. I changed my mind about it.”  _ Why is he running away? _ He looks back at Soonyoung standing in front of him.  _ Why… Am I feeling this way?  _ “I’m heading down to the archery range. I’ll probably go back to the apartment late, don’t wait up.”

And with that, Jihoon fled.

* * *

Jun finds him lying down on the grass, bow discarded to the side and an empty quiver beside him. The potion maker stops and plops down on the grass with him, settling the container of food beside Jihoon.

“Did something happen, Jihoon?” Jun hums, poking the fae prince in the arm when he grumbles and turns away, “You don’t usually look this tired when training.” The young potion maker continues to bother the prone prince lying on the ground, “You only push yourself when you’re thinking of something or stressed. So ‘fess up already and tell me what’s on your mind.”

“It’s none of your business,” Jihoon grumbles, wrinkling his nose when the grass tickles his chin. He sits up, clothes wrinkled and covered in grass stains. His hair is a mess, his cheeks covered with an angry flush from exhaustion and eyes filled with a dark look that looks out of place from the prince’s graceful features.

“It’s about Soonyoung, isn’t it?” He guesses and Jun lets out a laugh at the way Jihoon’s cheeks flush in anger once he mentions the other male. “I knew it! Did something happen between you two? I thought he was bothering Wonwoo the whole day; when did he get the chance to annoy you?”

Jihoon scowls at him, “That’s the thing. He was bothering Wonwoo the  _ whole _ fucking day, even daring to skip class.” He grabs his discarded bow and brushes the dirt off the pristine surface, “He doesn’t even have time to train with me anymore, always running off to Wonwoo—and yeah, I know it’s the  _ love potion _ ,” Jihoon rolls his eyes when he says this. “But I’m his friend too! We… We have this agreement and usually he’d tell me beforehand but…”

The young prince trails off, the heat in his cheeks spreading to his ears and neck. He doesn’t even know why he’s so affected by the whole thing. Soonyoung is free to do whatever he wants and Jihoon  _ knows _ that his actions nowadays are influenced by the love potion. But something about the way he brushes Jihoon aside makes him feel so…

“You’re jealous, aren’t you?” Jun says, a gleeful expression splitting across his face. At this, Jihoon sits up, a few sparks escaping from his fingers.  _ Him? Jealous? _ There must be something in his expression because Jun just claps his hands together and laughs, “I  _ knew  _ it! I knew you had feelings for him.”

_ Jealousy? _ “I don’t like him!” Jihoon says, his wings popping out from his back due to his denial. The smattering of glitter coats them both, making Jun laugh even harder. “Stop laughing! I don’t feel that way about him, he’s an idiot!”

“Your wings say otherwise,” Jun giggles, his hair shiny and covered by the  _ stupid, fucking glitter _ and yet his smile is still bright and shit-eating. “Why else would they come out? Come on, Jihoon. Just say that you like him that’s why you’re jealous.”

_ Fuck. Does he really “like” Soonyoung? He just misses him…  _ It’s not like Jihoon is bothered by the fact that Soonyoung never comes by at practice anymore, has stopped calling Jihoon by his name even though he hates it, has barely any time to talk or say one of his stupid jokes or even look at Jihoon and send him that annoying smile—

_ Wait. _

The tips of his ears burned. “Shut up,” he crackled, angry sparks flitting from between his fingers as he tries to get his anger under control.  _ Fuck. He really DOES like him. _ “You don’t have to look so happy about it.”

“How could I  _ not _ be happy, Jihoon?” The young potion maker shakes his head, “I’ve been watching you two dance around each other for a long time. It was funny at first but now?” He lets out a laugh. “I was this close to locking you two together with an enchanted crystal until one of you finally confesses.”

When Jihoon’s glare only worsens with every word that leaves Jun’s lips, the potion maker decides that it’s probably time for him to shut up. He’d rather not get another mouthful of glitter thrown in his face, even though they’re both covered with the substance now. Junhui could only sigh and look sadly at his poor friend.

“Anyways, now that we’ve established the fact that you like Soonyoung,” he says, ignoring the young fae prince’s fervent squawks of denial. “What are you going to do now?”

“I’m not going to do  _ anything _ !” Jihoon says. “So what if I have feelings for him, have you forgotten he’s under a love potion? I’m not gonna tell him anything with how idiotic he is!” 

Jun rolls his eyes at Jihoon’s pathetic excuse. “The love potion will wear off, Jihoon! Don’t use that as an excuse to hide your feelings, nothing good will come out of hiding it.”

“Nothing good will come out of me telling him either!” Jihoon shakes his head, “I swear, you’re too much of a romantic. Life isn’t a fairytale where happy endings happen all the time. There’s no chance of Soonyoung even liking me back in the first place. I’d rather avoid rejection while I still can.”

“You won’t know if you don’t try,” Jun sighs. “We study magic for heavens’ sake! You know better than anyone that miracles and  _ wishes _ come true. Fairy godmothers exist right?” He shakes Jihoon by the shoulder. “Won’t you try it at least?”

“No.”

At Jihoon’s stubborn reply, Jun groans and flops down to the grass once more. “Why are my friend’s love lives so problematic? On one hand, I’ve got Soonyoung who drank a love potion and fell in love with my boyfriend. Now, I’ve got you having feelings for Soonyoung but is too emotionally constipated to even confess. Maybe I should’ve made  _ you _ drink that love potion instead!”

“Don’t you dare!” Jihoon jabs Jun hardly at the side, making the potion maker yelp in pain. “This whole thing started because of that damn love potion in the first place! If you hadn’t made that thing, I could have probably lived my whole life in denial and not have you hounding me about my feelings.”

“Hey! Love potions aren’t that bad,” the potion maker says, mildly offended. “It’s  _ extremely  _ hard to brew them and the ingredients are extremely hard to procure. I know it’s got a lot of bed rep since it’s mostly used for enchanting and shallow tricks. But, do you know why people continue making them in the first place?”

The fairy prince barks out a small, condescending laugh, “Because they’re evil and want to trick people into falling in love?”

“Because they’re scared, Jihoon. It’s not because they have evil intentions, it’s because they lack the courage for it.” Jihoon blinks at him when he says this, clearly not expecting this kind of answer. Jun continues, “Love potions are a coward’s brew. The ones who use it usually lack the courage to tell others how they feel—to the point where they resort to backhanded methods in order to gain happiness. Sometimes, people are so scared of rejection that despite being desperate for love, they couldn’t do anything but that.”

Jihoon stays quiet, and Jun can tell that he’s thinking about what he’s said. “I’m not going to force you to confess anymore. But I’m still hoping that you’ll find it within yourself to tell Soonyoung how you feel,” Jun smiles. “Someday, if not today, at least. After all, words of love are a different kind of magic. Who knows what will happen if you don’t cast them?”

He stands up, brushing the dirt off his clothes and offers the young prince a hand. Jihoon stares at his outstretched palm before taking it, “Alright,” he says, making Jun beam at him with a smile. Jihoon quirked his lips up in response, a silent promise, “One day. I’ll tell him.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


**Wonwoo wishes they’d find a solution immediately.**

Soonyoung is his best friend. He knows the other male better than his alchemy books and tomes. It’s gotten to the point where he could approximately guess Soonyoung’s precise location at any given part of the day. They’ve been friends since birth and Wonwoo knows that Soonyoung is one person he’d trust his life with (but only on certain occasions when he doesn’t act like an idiot.)

He can’t stand watching Soonyoung act like this in front of him, drugged up on a failed love potion when Wonwoo clearly knows he’d much rather be acting like this to someone else.

From the corners of his eyes, he could spy Jihoon sitting silently at the corner. He’s been like that ever since he came back from training with Jun and Wonwoo surmises that the potion maker said something to make him think.

Speaking of Jun, Wonwoo glances at their shared bedroom with a frown. He’s been holed up in the room for the past two days and Wonwoo can’t help but worry if he’s working too hard. The alchemist can’t go inside the room because wherever he goes, Soonyoung follows. (A hard fact which he realized right after enchanting the bathroom to avoid any unwanted visitors.)

He can’t risk Soonyoung drinking yet another potion and doubling the problem at their hands. He can’t imagine anything worse than a drugged up Soonyoung walking around spouting confessions of love to everything that he sees.

  
  


Wonwoo can’t help the sigh that leaves his lips. He’s been doing that a lot more often lately and he feels like he’s started to develop a habit. He looks down at the bundle of papers spread out in front of him, filled with scribbles and notes he has on Soonyoung’s condition. The alchemist is convinced that the potion’s effects have lessened and he’s got almost enough evidence to support his claim.

  
  


He found that whenever he’s far from Soonyoung’s visible line of sight, the loving gaze in his eyes seem to recede and he doesn’t try to follow Wonwoo around. The current limit is ten feet and it’s only when he reaches that radius around the elementalist that Soonyoung immediately bounds over towards him.

  
  


It’s definitely not as bad as how Soonyoung had been in the first few days. Soonyoung no longer tries to break into Wonwoo’s room, he actually goes on his own daily and regular schedule and attends his own classes like how he used to. It’s only when he sees Wonwoo or is made aware of Wonwoo’s presence that he reverts back to playing the lovesick fool.

  
  


However, judging by Jihoon’s forlorn expression, Wonwoo suspects that Soonyoung isn’t completely normal. He’s received confirmation that Soonyoung attends the old classes he shares with Jihoon but he doesn’t think that the elementalist has joined Jihoon in their nightly training sessions just yet. It would also explain why Jihoon has resorted to sparring with several spirits or by himself more often than late.

  
  


Two arms suddenly wrap around him, breaking Wonwoo out of his reverie. He relaxes when he recognizes the familiar set of arms and Wonwoo closes his eyes, soaking up the warmth Jun’s body exudes.

  
  


“How are you holding up?” Jun asks, resting his chin right on Wonwoo’s shoulders. “Have you eaten? You look a bit pale.”

  
  


“I ate, don’t worry,” Wonwoo smiles. “I’m just tired.” He turns his head slightly to the side and remarks teasingly, “I guess with Soonyoung hanging around me so much, I started to miss seeing your face for once.”

  
  


This makes Jun laugh out loud, his arms tightening around Wonwoo as his body shakes. The sound seeps the tension right out of Wonwoo’s body and a faint smile crosses his lips at the sight of Jun’s bright grin. It’s been a while since he last heard Jun laugh, making him greedy for even more.

  
  


Jun leans over, his brown hair falling softly over his eyes as he peeks at the jumble of notes Wonwoo has been working on. “What’s this? Observational notes on Soonyoung?”

  
  


“I’ve been compiling these since day one,” he says, ignoring the small teasing smile that’s now stretching over Jun’s lips. He always likes to joke on how serious Wonwoo is about everything, even going so far to compile notes on Soonyoung and the love potion’s effects on him. “I’ve been watching him since then and I’m starting to think that the potion has been weakening.”

  
  


“Oh, really?” Jun leans in even closer, now intrigued. “Why do you say so?”

  
  


“It’s because of his reactions towards me,” Wonwoo explains, sliding a sheet of paper with the ten-foot diagram he sketched earlier. Using two points as placeholders for him and Soonyoung, he continues, “I saw him before going to class earlier. You saw how he was that day when he kept sticking close right? He suddenly appeared as if he’s got a built in radar on me.”

  
  


“But it was different this time. I had to be  _ within _ his line of sight before he came and went over to me. During the few minutes Soonyoung hadn’t noticed I was near, he was talking and acting like before.” Wonwoo hummed, thoughtfully, “The effects only came when he saw me…”

  
  


“Then that’s great, right? We only have to make sure Soonyoung doesn’t see you until the potion wears off completely!”

  
  


Wonwoo shakes his head at this, “I’m afraid that won’t work. He doesn’t only react through sight but through memories as well.” Upon seeing Jun’s confusion, Wonwoo explains further, “Just a while ago, he suddenly came up to me with that love-sick gaze and started spouting off a bunch of nonsense. At first, I was confused because I had been avoiding him and yet he’s still managed to find me.”

  
  


“Through his words however, I was able to discern that he saw an alchemy textbook and he made the relation between the book and me, as an alchemist. This triggered the potion and he ended up trying to find me as per the love potions effects,” he says, folding his hands onto the table. Wonwoo taps his pen on the paper, “Thus, I have come to the grand conclusion that the potion is weakening and its effects only happen when Soonyoung sees me or is reminded of me by any other stimuli around him.”

  
  


“Woah,” Jun shakes his head, a smile lingering on his lips. He presses a small kiss on Wonwoo’s cheeks, as if rewarding him for coming to that conclusion. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

  
  


“I know,” he reminds him gently, his confidence making Jun chuckle once again. “We should probably tell Jihoon,” Wonwoo says, glancing at the fairy prince who is once again strapping on his sword guards and heading out. He seems to have gotten restless and is once again going to the training grounds to practice. “When he returns, we’ll tell him. I don’t want to bother him while he looks so stressed.”

  
  


“Mmm, yeah. He’s got a lot to think about,” Jun remarks, also staring at Jihoon who’s getting ready. Jihoon doesn’t seem to notice that they’re both staring at him, a testament to how troubled he is by whatever he’s thinking about. “Don’t worry though. I helped him sort things out.”

  
  


“What did you two talk about?” Wonwoo inquires, curiosity seeping into his words. Jun merely laughs at his obvious, questioning gaze. “It’s a secret,” he says, biting the inside of his cheek. “I think you’ll find out sooner or later though. For now, stop thinking about those two and sleep!”

  
  


“I have work—“

  
  


“Nope! You have to take a nap at least,” Jun shakes his head. He stands up, pulling Wonwoo to his feet as he drags the alchemist to his room. After clearing the bed of any lingering tomes and scrolls, Jun pushes Wonwoo into the bed and snuggles up right beside him.

  
  


Wonwoo doesn’t bother getting up, he really is tired after all. Glancing down at Jun who’s now settled quite comfortably in his arms, he decides that he’ll go along with Jun’s wishes and closes his eyes before promptly falling asleep.

* * *

He finds himself shaken awake by Jihoon, who stands beside their bed and looking at the couple currently entangled in bed. “Dinner,” he says simply, before leaving Wonwoo’s room and going back out to eat.

  
  


Wonwoo sits up, stretching himself awake. He looks down at Jun beside him and prods him gently, making him stir from sleep. Jun looks up at him with a sleepy smile and yawns, the sight making Wonwoo want to lean down and give him a kiss. (Which he does.)

  
  


Now, they’re both awake, clothes straightened out and bed hair combed back as they head to the dining room. Jihoon has finished eating already, his own dishes washed and left for drying in the counter. He’s placed a small spell to keep the rice freshly cooked and hot before retiring in his room for the night.

  
  


“He must be tired,” Jun comments, as he looks at the amount of rice left inside the bowl. “Jihoon ate much more than usual.”

  
  


“He’s always hungry after training,” Wonwoo answers, piling his own bowl with food and nudging Jun to do the same. He places the spice bottle in front of Jun before continuing, “He could out-eat all of us in rice. Soonyoung even calls him “rice fairy” because of it.”

  
  


“Speaking of Soonyoung,” Jun looks around, inspecting the apartment for the other male. “He’s still not back? Where is he?”

  
  


“Probably still in class.” 

  
  


As if only realizing this, Jun sits up with a start. “Quick! Let’s eat and tell Jihoon while he’s still not here.”

  
  


They reconvene in Jihoon’s room after dinner, the young prince confused over his sudden visitors but welcomes them inside regardless. “What’s so important that you two couldn’t wait until tomorrow to tell me?” Jihoon says, as he picks up his bow and goes back to waxing his string. “Also, why are you doing it in my room?”

  
  


“We’re trying to avoid Soonyoung,” Jun explains. “Can’t do it in the hallways or living room, Wonwoo’s room is definitely out of the question, and you have once deemed my room as a biohazard environment so I doubt you’d appreciate it there as well.”

  
  


“We’re also here because we have something to discuss about Soonyoung.” At Wonwoo’s words, Jihoon pauses in his maintenance and sets his wax down. Wonwoo smiles, “The potion is weakening. I’m sure about it.”

  
  


The two give Jihoon a brief summary of all of Wonwoo’s observation, with Jihoon growing visibly elated at the whole thing. “I can’t believe you found all that by yourself,” Jihoon exclaims, “How sure are you about the whole thing?”

  
  


“Only about 70 percent,” Wonwoo admits, shaking his head. “I’ve only been working on it for a few hours but I still need to test a few more stuff.”

  
  


“Your anecdotes and experiments all sound concrete though,” Jihoon says. “The way Soonyoung reacted is suspicious in itself. I could only hope that you’re theory is correct and that it  _ is _ weakening.”

  
  


Jun lets out a laugh, “We just have to wait a bit more until the potion fades off completely! It could happen any day now—”

  
  


A small sound outside Jihoon’s window causes all three of them to freeze. They all shift their stances immediately, mana circulating around Jihoon’s fist and Wonwoo reaching into his robes at the slightest sign of danger. To their growing horror, they watch as Jihoon’s window slides itself open and a figure steps in, landing with practiced ease at the wooden floor.

  
  


“Soonyoung?!” They exclaim, retracting their aggressive stance from before. The elementalist lifts his head to stare at the three huddled near Jihoon’s bed. A big grin spreads across his face as soon as he catches sight of Wonwoo, bounding over to the alchemist and losing the graceful form that he had when climbing into Jihoon’s room.

  
  


“Wonwoo-yah! You’re here!” Soonyoung greets as he zeroes in on the other male. Wonwoo could hear himself sigh once more as he gazes at the pink tinge in his best friend’s eyes as Soonyoung grin at him.

  
  


He could hear Jihoon and Jun whisper quietly to themselves. “I thought he wouldn’t find him here,” Jihoon says as they stare at Soonyoung rambling, Wonwoo nodding his head at Jihoon’s assumption.

  
  


“That’s what we thought too…” Jun whispers back, his voice deep and inquisitive. “Strange… How did he find us?”

  
  


Wonwoo finds the whole thing strange as well. He finds his mind drifting away while Soonyoung rambles in front of him. ‘ _ Why would Soonyoung even come by to Jihoon’s room? Shouldn’t he have tried coming into Wonwoo’s instead?’  _ They’re locked in and Wonwoo doubts Soonyoung saw them inside while talking to Jihoon. _ ‘I thought my theory was right…’  _ A small thought suddenly appears in his head, ‘ _ Unless…?’ _

  
  


“Hey, Soonyoung. I have a question for you.”

  
  


“Really?” Soonyoung perks up, stopping himself in the middle of his speech about ice sharks and how to animate them. “What is it?”

  
  


Wonwoo glances back to meet Jun’s eye before turning back to face Soonyoung and saying, “Why do you even like me in the first place? Do you even have something you like about me?”

  
  


His words seem to douse Soonyoung in cold water, the lovesick gaze in his eyes receding somewhat. There’s something fishy about Soonyoung coming into Jihoon’s room in the first place and Wonwoo suspects the reason has less to do with him, and more to do with the owner of the room.

  
  


“What?” Soonyoung’s face goes blank at his words, brows furrowing together as he struggles to answer. “Why..? I…I don’t…” he trailed off, a cloudy look appearing in his eyes.

_ This is it! _ Wonwoo presses further, trying to dig yet another reaction from the other male. “You say that you like me so much, yet you can’t even answer a question like this?” He studies the several micro-expressions flitting across Soonyoung’s face, hands clenching together as he waits for the elemental to break free from the potion on his own.

  
  


Soonyoung pauses as if confused, eyes slowly switching from it’s red tint to a familiar dark brown. His brow is furrowed in contemplation, seeming as if it’s taking his entire mental capacity to answer that one single question from the other male.

  
  


“I… It’s because,” Soonyoung frowns, pausing every few seconds while he speaks. Wonwoo can’t help the elated feeling rushing through his bones as his response only proves that he’s so much closer to a cure. “…Wonwoo-yah…?”

  
  


_ He’s so close! Just a few more... _

  
  


Wonwoo can’t help the smile spreading across his face, as he encourages Soonyoung to go further. “Yes? What is it?”

  
  


Behind him, Wonwoo spies both Jun and Jihoon lean forward in expectation, curious as to where this whole thing going. Wonwoo avoids Jihoon’s questioning gaze as he meets Jun’s calm one. ‘ _ He’s getting close.’ _

  
  


‘ _ Try prodding him a bit more _ ,’ comes Jun’s silent reply.

  
  


“Soonyoung?” Wonwoo tries again. “Are you going to tell me what it is?”

  
  


For a few seconds, Soonyoung is completely silent, eyes almost devoid of the love tinted gaze of the potion. For the first time in five days, Wonwoo can see the reflection of his best friend—of the Soonyoung he knows, come back.

The moment is shattered when Soonyoung cheers, “I… I like you because you’re Wonwoo!!” His expression brightening once more. The cloudy gaze in his eyes reappears in an instant and Wonwoo’s smile falls. Twin sounds of despair are heard from right behind him and Wonwoo feels tempted to do the same.

_ He was so close! _ Wonwoo can’t help but bite his lip in frustration, mind churning as he tries to go over the events that just happened.

_ It seems like the potion really isn’t as strong as we thought. _ He muses, staring at Soonyoung who’s once again looking at him expectantly. The pink tinge in his eyes are still there but Wonwoo could see that it’s not as vibrant as before.  _ He only reacted like that when I asked him about his feelings. Why is it so? Doesn’t the love potion restrict it? _

  
  


“Oh, is that so?” Wonwoo deadpans, swatting away the heart eyes Soonyoung aims at him. “That’s why you came looking for me, huh?”

  
  


It didn’t add up. If Soonyoung wanted to look for him, he knew better than to check Jihoon’s room. This late at night, Wonwoo would be most likely bent over a stack of books in his room or indulging Jun in one of his late night experiments. Soonyoung would’ve gone to the library if he doesn’t catch the young sorcerer in his room.

  
  


_ Then why was he here? _

  
  


“If you were looking for me, how come you’re here in Jihoon’s room then?” Wonwoo replied, raising an eyebrow towards the other male. 

  
  


Another blank look makes its way across Soonyoung’s expression, brows furrowed as he struggles to answer.  _ Here it is again! _ He tilts his head to the side, as if only realizing just now, “Wait… Why am I in Jihoon’s room?” 

  
  


_ Why, indeed. _ In the few seconds that pass, he could see the gears churning around in Soonyoung’s head until a glazed look passes over his eyes and he succumbs to the potion once more. “It’s ‘cos I knew you’d be here,” he smiles, that dopey grin plastered on once more.

  
  


He watches the flicker of pain that appears in Jihoon’s eyes when he hears this. Noting how the tension bunches up around his shoulders and his hands curling on his lap.

  
  


_ Ah _ . Of course Wonwoo knows of their late night training sessions, Soonyoung probably came to Jihoon’s room through muscle memory and not because he was looking for Wonwoo. He seems to have forgotten his original purpose, the potion making Soonyoung focus on Wonwoo once he’s entered the line of Soonyoung’s sight. Soonyoung has been going back to his normal routine and he was probably in the middle of inviting Jihoon out after a long time.

  
  


Wonwoo purses his lips. He really had to commend Junhui for his potion brewing skills. If only that beloved boyfriend of his wasn’t such a klutz at times, he’d probably get less headaches from helping him clean up his mess.

  
  


But still… It’s possible that Soonyoung came over for  _ Jihoon  _ and not him. The potion could influence his mind but it’s not strong enough to fully control habit and desire. With the way he entered using Jihoon’s window, not even uttering Wonwoo’s name until he saw the other male; Wonwoo is even more convinced that the potion made him react that way.

  
  


He glances to the side and nods imperceptibly to the potion maker.  _ Looks like his theory has now been proven correct; the potion’s effects are waning. _ A small smile threatens to burst up from his lips as he figures out the solution.  _ And who would’ve thought that the reason why was as clear as day? _

  
  


“Is that so?” Wonwoo chuckles, grinning softly at his best friend. “You’re surprisingly simple, Soonyoung,” shaking his head as he tries to curb his laughter. The solution in front of them was right in front of their eyes.  _ Why hadn’t he realized it sooner? _

  
  


He slides his eyes on Jihoon, the young fae prince has his face pulled tight, his frown accentuates the sharpness of his features but does little to help the prettiness of his face. Wonwoo glances back towards Jun, raising an eyebrow for permission to meddle in their affairs.

  
  


Jun quirked his lips into a smile and shakes his head.  _ Figures _ . With how discerning Jun is, he probably came to the same conclusion he did, maybe even figuring it out before Wonwoo did himself. Still, that talk he had with Jihoon and that supposed  _ secret  _ is probably overpowering his desire to solve the problem as soon as possible.

  
  


No matter. They already know how. The only thing left is to wait for Jihoon to do something about it himself.

* * *

“We figured out how to break the love potion’s effects,” Wonwoo says, as soon as he managed to trick Soonyoung to bed with a rune of his own.

  
  


“You figured it out?” Jihoon asks, his eyes wide and swirling with respect. He glances at Jun for affirmation who nods and the young prince involuntarily sends out a few sparks from joy. “That great! What sort of spell did you manage to find? Is it from a ancient tome or something? A specialized technique?”

  
  


“We didn’t find any,” Jun answers instead.

  
  


This makes Jihoon furrow both of his brows together. A few sparks escape from his fingers from confusion, staining the ground with colors of red and purple. “But I thought you found the solution? How are we going to do it without a spell?”

  
  


“It’s not a spell, Jihoon,” Wonwoo shakes his head. His lips quirk up when he sees the confused expression on the young fae prince’s face, “It’s something only you can do.”

  
  


“Me?” The crease between his brows deepened as he stares at Wonwoo. “Is it some kind of fae magic? Is that why only I can do it?”

  
  


“Hmm, not really.” Wonwoo thinks about how he could explain it without giving everything away. He’s still got some doubts about the solution and it’s probably best if he tries to control all the variables to ensure success, “Some people consider it to be magic, but no once can really control it. It happens when you least expect it and people don’t see it coming. If you try to force it, it slips from your grasp and the only thing you can do is to let it come naturally.”

  
  


“What.”  _ Is this a secret technique or something?  _ Jihoon shakes his head, “What sort of magic is that? I’ve never heard of anything similar before.”

  
  


Jun places a hand on Jihoon’s shoulder. “Trust me, you know what we’re talking about,” he says. “You just need to think about it a little more. You’re the only one who could possibly break this spell; Wonwoo and I don’t have whatever skills needed in order to help Soonyoung.”

  
  


Wonwoo can see the apprehension increase in Jihoon’s body as he listens to their words. “Wait, is it really that hard? Am I  _ really _ the only one who can help him?” His eyes are blown wide with panic, hands grasping at Jun’s shoulders with desperation. “Quick! Tell me what I have to do!”

  
  


Jun glances at Wonwoo, lips pursing as if to ask, ‘ _ Are you sure this’ll work? _ ’

  
  


‘ _ It’s the best chance we’ve got _ ,’ he nods back at him, steeling himself once he sees the potion maker draw himself to full height, towering over their shorter friend.

  
  


“Jihoon… You have to kiss Soonyoung in order to break the spell.”

* * *

**Jihoon thinks they’re joking.**

  
  


They have to be. It’s ridiculous, shameless even.

  
  


Kissing Soonyoung to break the spell? What sort of idiot would come up with a solution like that?

  
  


“Are you serious?” Jihoon asks, disbelief thickly coating his words. “Now isn’t the time for jokes. We don’t have time for silly games and pranks, Wonwoo.”

  
  


“It’s not a joke,” Wonwoo replies, face as serious as it can be.  _ Fuck. Is he really not joking? _ “I’m not lying when I say that it’s what you have to do to break the love potion’s spell on Soonyoung.”

  
  


“A kiss?” No. Jihoon shakes his head. That’s crossing the line, he won’t  _ ever  _ do it! “Are you out of your minds? A kiss isn’t going to save anyone. This is not a children’s story where ‘ _ true love’s kiss _ ’ saves the day!”

  
  


“That’s exactly it, though! True love’s kiss!” Jun exclaims, grabbing Jihoon gently by the shoulders. “Can’t you see where we’re going with this?”

  
  


He can. The whole thing is stupid and naive and it makes so much sense that Jihoon wishes they didn’t come up with it in the first place. True Love’s Kiss? When has that stuff existed outside of fairy tales? And yet, Jihoon knows, that in a world filled with magic, this sort of thing isn’t entirely far-fetched.

  
  


“True love breaks all magic,” Jun explains. He offers a small smile towards Jihoon, “That’s one thing that no magic can replicate. Even love potions have an expiration date on them; it’s something that is absolute.”

  
  


Jihoon doesn’t have any answer to that. Instead, he fixes on Wonwoo, “Did Jun tell you about our talk?” He clenches his hands to the side, “Why else would he suggest me kissing Soonyoung if he doesn’t know that I have feelings?”

  
  


“Nope. I figured out that you liked him by myself,” Wonwoo answers, light and easy. “It wasn’t that hard actually. I’ve always assumed there was something going on between you two. I mean, you two have  _ nightly _ training sessions and if that doesn’t say anything, I only have to see the way Soonyoung is around you before the whole love potion fiasco.”

  
  


“What do you mean?”  _ Around me? Soonyoung? _ “What are you talking about?”

  
  


“Oops, I’ve said too much,” Wonwoo says, with a shit-eating grin that betrays the meaning of his words. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed? Aren’t you fae folk supposed to be masters of these sort of things? I’ve always just assumed you didn’t feel the same way and brush off Soonyoung’s feelings.”

  
  


“No, he definitely felt the same way. It’s just that he only realized it a few days ago,” Jun shakes his head, fixing a small pitying gaze on Jihoon. “Rather than brush Soonyoung’s feelings away, he probably brushed off his own! I swear, I’ve never met anyone as emotionally constipated as Jihoon.”

  
  


“I’m right here, ya know,” Jihoon grumbles. The two continue to bash Jihoon’s inability to notice anything romantic around him, making the young prince scowl even harder. “Enough with all your comments and insults, I thought we were talking about how to help Soonyoung.”

  
  


“Oh, we’re done talking. We’re just giving you time to get over your fears of rejection and come up with a decision!” Jun says, ignoring the squawk that leaves Jihoon’s lips. “The rest is up to you, Jihoon,” the potion maker says, coming up and placing a hand on Jihoon’s shoulder. “Will you kiss him or not?”

  
  


The weight of Jun’s gaze makes Jihoon want to break away and hide. He’s still not entirely on board on the whole thing, still thinks that they should probably search for a magic spell that could help Soonyoung instead. But the memory of Jun’s words come flashing back to him,  _ ‘After all, words of love are a different kind of magic. Who knows what will happen if you don’t cast them? _ ’ Perhaps it’s time for Jihoon to take courage.

  
  


“Fine. How are we going to do it?”

  
  


Jun beams at his response while Wonwoo fixes him with a small nod. “Don’t worry,” the alchemist smiles, “I have a plan.”

  
  


* * *

Wonwoo’s plan consist of Jihoon asking Soonyoung to train with him once again. At first, Jihoon scoffed at the idea, saying, “What sort of plan is this? Do you really think he’ll agree? It’s much too simple!”

  
  


Hearing this, Wonwoo flicks a finger against Jihoon’s forehead, making the young prince scowl in retaliation. “Not all plans are supposed to be complicated, Jihoon. Simplicity can go a long way.”

  
  


Despite his reservations, Jihoon goes along with the plan. Decked out in training gear, his bow strapped across his back, Jihoon visits Soonyoung in his room and asks him to go out and accompany him to train once more. To his surprise, Soonyoung agrees, after a week of leaving Jihoon to go to the forest alone.

  
  


They head towards the entrance of the forest, lightly stretching before they go ahead and race to their spot. Soonyoung seems normal when talking to Jihoon, the pink tinge in his eyes are still present when he gazes him but it doesn’t seem as bad as how it was in the first few days. A light, easy smile curves along Soonyoung lips as they near the entrance. “We haven’t gone out together in a while, huh Jihoonie,” Soonyoung remarks, his gait casual and free. “I bet you’ve been training without me.”

  
  


“Of course,” Jihoon replies, short and curt. “I’m not going to neglect my training, unlike you, Soonyoung. You’ve been slacking off lately.”

  
  


Soonyoung laughs at this, saying, “It’s because I have no one else to train with. I only ever do so with you after all.” He lets out a quiet laugh afterwards, “It’s odd; I haven’t seen you around this past week. I can’t remember the last time we talked to one another.”

  
  


_ ‘It’s because of the love potion _ ,’ Jihoon resists the urge to say. “We were both busy this week, don’t worry. I spent my time training with Seokmin instead.”

  
  


“Seokmin, huh,” Soonyoung says, glancing at Jihoon from the side. “Since you’ve been busy training, let’s see how well you do in our race!”

  
  


“You’re acting way too confident for a guy who hasn’t faced against me in a week,” Jihoon smiles, a competitive gleam in his eyes. He takes a deep breath before saying the next few words, “Why don’t we wager something? Loser has to do something embarrassing in front of the winner.”

  
  


“Ooh, a bet?” He lets out a laugh and grins, eyes bright as he stares at Jihoon. “Sure! Don’t you underestimate me though! Actually, feel free to do so, maybe then I’d be able to snatch a win from under your nose.”

  
  


They get into their racing positions, Jihoon already working his magic on his feet while Soonyoung whispers a few spells in preparation. At a count of one, two, and three; they set off into the forest, wind whistling from behind them as they run. Jihoon can see Soonyoung pulling forward and lets it happen, making sure to keep a small width in order for the elementalist to not suspect anything.

  
  


_ ‘This is it, Jihoon! Make sure you follow through on the plan,’ _ he tells himself. ‘ _ No backing out now.’ _

  
  


Upon noticing Jihoon lagging behind in the race, Soonyoung throws his head back and grins. “Hey, you were the one who proposed the wager, and now you’re about to lose?” He teases, laughing at the expression on Jihoon’s face. “What is that one week of training for then?”

  
  


“Shut up,” Jihoon growls out instead, as he puts a little more energy to his legs, making him neck with neck to Soonyoung instead. ‘ _ Oh, if only you knew what I was going to do, _ ’ Jihoon can’t afford for Soonyoung to grow suspicious of the wager. Wonwoo’s entire plan counts on it after all.

  
  


While he was running, the memory of Wonwoo saying that Soonyoung looks at him in a certain way resurfaces, causing Jihoon to stumble slightly in his steps.  _ No, stop thinking about it! He probably said that just to get you to agree to the whole thing, _ Jihoon says to himself. The possibility of Soonyoung liking him back is close to zero, and Jihoon is better off not hoping in the first place. 

  
  


As they break through the tree line, Soonyoung reaches the clearing first. He does so with a loud,  _ whoop! _ , turning around and giving Jihoon a big smile that leaves him breathless. At the sight, his heart throbs painfully in his chest.  _ How could he not have realized it sooner…  _

  
  


“I win!” Soonyoung exclaims, bounding over to Jihoon, bright grin still intact. “Ok, Jihoonie, pay up. Where’s my prize?”

  
  


Jihoon takes a deep breath before fixing his gaze on Soonyoung. He takes a step towards the other male, stopping right in front of him, “Your prize, Soonyoung.” Jihoon inhales deeply, steeling himself as leans forward to say, “I’m sorry.” Before Soonyoung could question him why, Jihoon pushes himself up on his toes and presses his lips against Soonyoung’s.

* * *

**Soonyoung doesn’t know what’s happening.**

  
  


All he knows is that Jihoon is kissing him. HIM!  _ Jihoon is kissing him! _ Right. This. Very. Moment.

  
  


Needless to say, Soonyoung is freaking the  _ fuck _ out.

  
  


He didn’t expect it to happen nor did he get the chance to see it coming. Jihoon had leaned in before Soonyoung could do anything. His eyes are wide open, staring at Jihoon with his eyes closed, lashes quivering, his small eye mole peeking out from the corner of Jihoon’s eyes. Soonyoung could feel the warm breath over his lips, the way Jihoon’s hair is brushing and tickling his cheek when he leans in, the way Jihoon’s fingers are clenched over the material of his shirt. The warm press of Jihoon’s body against his, his scent, his taste, his  _ everything _ .

  
  


The whole thing ends just as quick as how it started.

  
  


Jihoon pulls back, a furious blush staining his cheeks. His magic is leaking out again; flowers blooming where he’s stepping, red tulips and pink carnations blooming with each step. A few sparks trail down from his fingertips, staining the grass with blotches of colors. A tense look covers Jihoon’s face as he avoids Soonyoung’s gaze, looking as if he’s this close to popping his wings in order to fly away.

  
  


Soonyoung could feel his head throb. He closes his eyes, the ringing in his ears almost deafening. The pain forces his eyes to open, his vision pulsates with colors of red and pink, making the whole world spin and lose control before it settles and all Soonyoung could see is Jihoon slowly retreating.

  
  


“I’m sorry,” Soonyoung hears Jihoon repeat once more. He has to strain himself in order to hear the rest of what Jihoon has been saying, “For kissing you without permission. I didn’t want to in the first place! But you drank that stupid love potion and it was the only thing that could help ward off its effects…”

  
  


_ Love potion? What is he talking about? _

  
  


“Jun and Wonwoo told me that it was the only way! That I had to kiss you in order to break the spell and so I did. I hope you don’t hold it against me or anything, consent is important after all. But it’s been a week since you drank the potion and honestly, we had no other choice--”

  
  


“What did you say?” Soonyoung asks, voice laced with confusion. “Sorry, my head hurts so bad, I seem to have misheard what you said. What’s this thing about a love potion?”

  
  


“You… Do you not remember?”

  
  


“No?” Jihoon looks at him, aghast. This makes Soonyoung worry because  _ shit, what did he do?? _ His question is answered by his head suddenly throbbing once more and he doubles over, mind filled with memories of the past week. He could see himself picking up the bottle in search of a drink, his abrupt confession to Wonwoo, the way he clinged to Wonwoo the whole week, all the embarrassing things he’s been up to under the haze of the love potion.

  
  


He sees the surprise on Jun’s face every time he monopolizes Wonwoo’s attention, this sort of shameful boyfriend stealing that he’s been doing the past week. It makes Soonyoung want to set himself on fire with a spell, the memory making him deeply regret his actions. 

  
  


His memories go even deeper and Soonyoung finds himself faced with memories of how Jihoon reacted. Several instances of him acting like Jihoon wasn’t there, skipping class in favor of joining Wonwoo on his own, the dark look on Jihoon’s face when he sees Soonyoung plastered all over his friend. One memory stands out from all the others, of him staring out at Jihoon while he trains alone in the field. He remembers him wanting to come over and join him but for some reason, he finds his hands and feet bringing him over to Wonwoo instead, the sight of Jihoon and his lonely figure lost to the wind.

  
  


“Oh my gods.” He shakes his head, cheeks flaming red with shame and guilt. “What have I done?”

  
  


“I take it that you finally remember,” Jihoon says, his voice oddly pinched for some reason. “You should probably apologize to Wonwoo. He suffered a lot of because of you.”

  
  


“He did… I feel so ashamed of myself.”

  
  


“Junhui, as well. That was his boyfriend after all. Not to mention you drank his love potion without his knowledge.”

  
  


“Fuck, I really messed up, huh?” Soonyoung lets out a bitter laugh. “I wonder if they’ll forgive me.”

  
  


“I mean, part of it is Jun’s fault in the first place but you definitely did some stupid shit. You’ll have to work for it, I’m sure,” Jihoon laughs, the sound making Soonyoung chest pang with each note. “God, you have no idea how hard it was. This whole thing has traumatized me with anything to do with love potions.”

  
  


“Seems like I was a handful,” Soonyoung shakes his head. He trains his gaze on the ground, “I should apologize to you as well, Jihoon. I’m sorry.”

  
  


Jihoon sounds taken aback, “Huh? What are you apologizing to me for?”

  
  


_ For making you wait alone in the training fields. For making you have that dark expression in your eyes. For everything stupid that he had done this past week. But mostly… _ “For forcing you to kiss me in order to break the love potion,” Soonyoung hangs his head. “It was too much to ask for and I’m sorry you had to do something out of your comfort zone. I know you don’t like me that way and it sucks that you had to go do that just to break me from this spell.”

  
  


Jihoon is silent once he finishes, making the elementalist believe that, yes, he really fucked it up for real this time. “I understand if you’re angry and--”

  
  


“Soonyoung…,” the young prince cuts him off, his voice soft yet incredulous. “Do you think… I don’t like you?”

  
  


His words make Soonyoung pause, immediately looking up to see Jihoon staring at him with a serious expression. “Wait,” he says, wetting his lips. “ _ Do _ you like me?”

  
  


“Is that even a question? Why else would I agree to kiss you in the first place!”

  
  


“Because you had to save me!” Soonyoung shakes his head, “You’re a kind person, Jihoonie. To the point that you have no sense of self-preservation and I know that if Wonwoo and Jun told you that you had to do it to help me, you’d agree in the end.”

  
  


“God, and Jun had the nerve to call  _ me _ the stupid one in our relationship,” Jihoon mutters, stepping forward Soonyoung. He pokes Soonyoung square in the chest, “Listen up because I’m only saying this now and I won’t be repeating myself in the future.” Soonyoung feels himself stop breathing when he sees the blush on Jihoon’s cheek as he says, “Soonyoung… I like you. I like you a lot and I have been for a long time. Took me some time to realize it but,” Jihoon chuckles. “Now I know, and now  _ you _ know that I like you so you better not ask me again!”

  
  


_ Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuck! Is this real? _

  
  


“I can’t believe this!” Soonyoung laughs, glee filling every pore of his body.  _ Jihoon likes him. THE LEE JIHOON LIKES HIM. _ “Am I dreaming? Is this a prank?”

  
  


He continues to laugh, tears filling up his eyes and soon, Jihoon feels as if he’s slowly being made fun off. A frown spreads across the young prince’s lips and he turns on his heel, away from the laughing male. “I’m leaving,” he snarls, his cheeks red from the whole thing. A few sparks escape from his fingers, “Keep on laughing! I’m never talking to you again!”

  
  


“No, Jihoonie. Wait!” Soonyoung says, trying his best to curb his laughter. It’s hard though, when all he wants to do is smile and laugh at the whole thing, “Hear me out.”

  
  


He jogs up to Jihoon, careful to not crush any of the flowers blooming underfoot. “Jihoonie,” he says, taking the fae prince’s hands in his. “Look at me.”

  
  


As soon as Jihoon fixes his gaze on him, another smile stretches itself across Soonyoung’s lips. “Listen, I know I’m an idiot and this whole week alone is a testament to how true that statement is. But still, here you are, saying that you have feelings for  _ me _ and gods,  _ Jihoonie _ , you have no idea how happy that makes me feel,” he grabs both of Jihoon’s hands in his, lacing their fingers together. “I love you, Jihoonie. More than you could possibly imagine.”

  
  


His smile widens at the sharp intake of breath from Jihoon, making him lean even closer towards the other male. “I don’t need a love potion for me to say that I love you, Jihoonie.”

  
  


“Funny,” Jihoon’s throat bobs under Soonyoung’s intense gaze. “If I had to say, this whole thing happened because of that potion in the first place.”

  
  


“Oh, I was going to confess. Been planning to do so for a while now,” he admits, admiring the pink flush which reappears on Jihoon’s porcelain skin. “You just beat me to it right now.”

  
  


“Well, we’ve both confessed to each other and we’ve both established that our feelings are mutual. Could you please back up for a bit?” Jihoon glances away.

  
  


“We’re not done yet,” Soonyoung laughs. “I still have one more thing left to do.”

  
  


He kneels down, plucking one of the carnations that appeared from Jihoon’s magic. He holds it aloft, looking up at Jihoon with a smile. He looks ethereal, head crowned with the moon up above as he stares down at Jihoon with flowers blooming in his cheeks. His features look softer in the moonlight, head bowed towards Soonyoung with a beautiful smile now creeping onto his lips. “Lee Jihoon,” Soonyoung says, offering the flower to Jihoon. “Will you be my boyfriend?”

  
  


“Yes,” Jihoon agrees, pulling Soonyoung up into a kiss as he throws his arms around the other male. He laughs upon contact, lips now molding against Jihoon’s own as he pulls the other flush up against him. They stay locked in that embrace for a long time, training gear long left forgotten on the grass down below. Flowers are blooming like crazy underneath as they kiss, an audience to the words of love and affection they whisper to one another.

  
  


“I love you.”

  
  


“Mn. Me too.”

  
  


* * *

**In the end, it’s all thanks to Junhui.**

  
  


“Look! They’re kissing,” Jun points out from where they’re spying on the two. Wonwoo quirks his brow, right hand alight with the stealth rune he activated just so they could watch over the two. “They actually did it.” Jun can’t help but voice out a laugh, light and airy as it curls around them both, “I feel so proud for some reason. Who knew that it would only take a love potion for them to get together?”

  
  


“I still feel like it was too much trouble,” Wonwoo shakes his head. “This doesn’t excuse that it was stressful for us all. This is a lesson on why you shouldn’t leave your stuff lying around. And  _ please _ label them next time? I don’t want a repeat of this happening.”

  
  


“Alright,” Jun laughs, looping his arm around Wonwoo’s waist with a small grin. He presses a small kiss on Wonwoo’s cheeks, causing the other male to softly sigh as if knowing this isn’t the last of his mischief. “I’ll label them properly this time.”

  
  


“Let’s go home,” Wonwoo says, dispelling the small room before holding Jun’s hand in his. “It’s been a long week. I think a nap is long overdue.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading!! Been writing this fic in the middle of review classes and studying for CETs as a way to relieve my stress heheheh this was def. one of the more challenging things i wrote (had to study up wonhui by reading fics... and that got me side tracked lol)
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friend ari who read this over for me. This shizun thanks her little disciple wholeheartedly <333
> 
> [ twt ](https://mobile.twitter.com/soonhoonlovebot)|[ cc ](https://curiouscat.me/orangecarat)


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